Adjustable window shade support



Dec. 30, 1941. G MAYNARD 2,268,492

ADJUSTABLE WINDOW SHADE SUPPORT FiledApri l s, 1940 2Sheets-Sheetl 5 A) I INVENTOR. W flf .34 FIE.4. 7 W

TTORNEY.

Dec. 30, 1941.

G. A. MAYNARD 2,268,492

ADJUSTABLE WINDOW SHADE SUPPORT Filed April 5, 194C 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 68 ,4 lNVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,268,492 ADJUSTABLE WINDOW SHADE SUPPORT George A. Maynard, Boston, Mass.

Application April 3, 1940, Serial No. 327,681

4 Claims.

This invention relates to holders or what are known as brackets for shades, usually of the roller type, and for draperies of the lighter kind, such as are generally used on window frames.

When such shades and draperies are attached to fixed brackets or holding devices at the top of a window frame, if the window is opened at the top for ventilation, the air rushing in or out, blows them and not only does serious injury but often blows them out into the room or sucks them out through the opened part, tearing them and generally making them unsightly.

In some places, such as ofiices, shades have been fastened to rollers at the bottom so that they pull up and in other cases each shade roller has been fastened in various ways to brackets which can be moved on guides at each side of the window frame so that the roller and shade can be pulled down and held in the down position, the whole being accomplished by various devices which are more or less unsightly.

The purpose of this device is to provide guides, brackets and bracket moving devices by which the brackets which hold the shade roller or the shade roller and draperies or any of them can be raised or lowered and locked in any desired position and which are not unsightly.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a window frame with my device in place with the brackets and shade roller shown part way between the top and the bottom.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section as from the left of Fig. 1, showing the details of the bracket at the top and the locking rod at the bottom.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a broken, enlarged front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view looking up on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a broken front elevation similar to Fig. 1 of a modification and with the parts shown in the up position.

Fig. '7 is an isometric view of a modification in which the rack and guide are formed of one piece.

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view of a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 7.

Fig, 9 is a sectional View as from the right on the line lll| 0 of Fig; 10.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged elevation of a preferred form of the handle end of a rod and a cover.

part of Fig. 3 on a vertical plane showing a modification of the locking rod handle.

Fig. 12 is a transverse sectional view similar to Fig. 8 of another modification.

Fig. 13 is a detail View in elevation showing the locking spring and the buifer spring.

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig 13 of a modification of the buffer.

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 12 of another modification.

Fig. 16 is a view from the attaching end of the construction shown in Fig. 15, part being in section.

Fig. 17 is a .side elevation partly in section of one end of the modified type of rack shown in Figs. 15 and 16.

In the drawings A represents a window frame with the sides I and 2, top 3 and sill 4.

In the preferred form of the device there are bracket guides G, G, attached at the top and bottom by screws such as, 5 and 6, each, incrosssection as shown in Fig. 5, being formed with the base 1 and having sides 9, 9 from the tops of which rails 8, 8, extend out on each side to form a track. Preferably each guide is made of sheet metal.

Forming part of each bracket guide is a rack R which as shown is preferably made of sheet metal bent down on each side at and. 3| to form stifiening ribs and at the ends 32 and 33 to form attaching members which are pierced at 34 and 35 so that the screws 5 and 6 can go 1 through them and into the wood or material of Fig. 11 is a sectional view similar to the bottom the frame A.

The teeth 36 of each rack R are rectangular holes or passages extending longitudinally along and through its middle portion between the ribs 30 and 3!. As shown these ribs 30 and 3| are bent down at substantially right angles and fit inside the sides 9, 9 of each guide G.

The stiffening ribs may, however, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 be bent out to form the rails 40, 40 for a track for a bracket B or they may be of other construction or shape as shown in Figs. 13

and 16.

in and has a pull rod hole 24 through it. Each bracket B also includes ears 23, 23, bent upward to carry bearings 25 for a square shaft 27 which carries near each end a pinion such as 26 pinned to it and held suitably in place so that its teeth will engage the teeth 36 of a rack R.

Preferably I use a detachable cover 29 which fits over each set of ears 23, 23, to protect the curtains from and to cover up each pinion 26.

M is What I will call a bracket mover which as shown is a round rod I which passes through a pull rod hole 24 and has a locking finger l4 inside lock holder extension 22. Rod l0 also passes through a hole I I in a bottom L-shaped rod guide 12 held in place by the screw 6 at the bottom.

The bottom end l3 of this rod I0 is bent to form a handle l1 and at the top is the spring 15, the purpose of which is to cause the finger 4 to normally engage one of the passages or teeth 36 of a rack R. There is also preferably another spring 16 attached to the top of the rod l0 and extending down to serve as a bufier, when and if for any reason the finger 14 does not catch in a tooth 36, to hold the parts in place, and for another reason explained herein.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, there is a bracket guide such as G including a rack R as well as a pinion 26 on each side which moves with a connecting shaft 21. The bracket mover M, however needs to be on one side only because when the rod I0 is turned to release a finger [4, the bracket to which it is attached can be moved up or down with rod 16 and this motion is transmitted by the shaft 21 to the other pinion 26 which engages the other rack causing it to revolve and run on the rack thus causing that bracket to move up or down with the one being operated.

By releasing the rod handle l1, spring l causes finger M to catch in a tooth 36 and holds the entire assembly of curtains, shades and brackets in any desired position.

As shown in Fig. 6, I can omit the bottom rod guide l2 for the rod ID of the bracket mover and also the buffer spring l6 but the bracket mover is then apt to swing and get out of place and be bent although, it will operate and may be used in some cases.

As shown in Fig. 7, I can use a rack H in which the sides 40-40 are bent outward to form a track for a bracket B, movable by a rod I 0 as described, the rack in this case serving also as a bracket guide.

As shown in Fig. 8, I can use such racks H, H, and brackets B, B, without a rod H), but with a pin or peg 42 which passes through a hole 43 and which can be pulled out or pushed in through any one of the rack spaces to hold the cover and the bracket attached to it in any given position. Such a device is useful where a more or less permanently adjusted position is satisfactory.

Preferably, however, I use a combination of a cover and rod, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

In this case the guide'G and rack R are the same as in the first described construction, as is also the rod ID of the bracket mover M except that the handle end 1! sticks up through the a slot 5| in a. cover 50. This cover 50 extends up at 52 so as to clear the rod guide l2 and to go over the extension 22 of a bracket B and has sides which are bent out and around at 53 so that it can slide on the rails 8, 8, of a bracket guide G. The purpose of this cover is to give a better finish than if the rod and rack are exposed. It also protects the curtain and shade from being caught in the rack teeth, in a latch spring such as I5 for the locking finger of a bracket mover, or in a buffer spring such as I6 shown in Fig. 14.

A cover as part of the bracket moving means, moving on the guide rails also stiffens and steadies the whole assembly.

In Fig. 11, I show a slight modification of this construction in which a similar cover 63 has an ear 5! which extends down and is pierced so that the straight end 58 of a rod 59, similar to It, can go through it and so that an inside nut 66 and an outside button 6| can hold the rod and cover together so that the rod and cover move together as a bracket moving device with a bracket.

A construction, wherein the rack itself serves as a guide, such as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, is satisfactory if the metal is heavy enough but as shown in Fig. 12, thinner metal can be used with some modification.

The combination guide rack K is narrow at each end such as 54 and is bent down and out in L-shape so that it forms an attaching arm which can be fastened by a screw such as 55 at top and bottom to the frame A. In the middle of the top 56 are cut the teeth or rack holes for a locking member such as rod l6, peg 42 or for the operation of the shaft and pinion device first described. The sides are bent outwardly and then in at 8! to form bracket guide track rails and then down at 88 to the level of the bottom of attaching arm 54 to form supporting ribs and members to stiffen the whole construction.

In Figs. 16 and 17, is shown at L another variation of the guide rack. This is shown as bent from a single sheet of metal 66 with the U- shaped stiifening ribs BI and 62 which also serve as supporting legs and then extend outward to form th rails 63 and 64. The part 65 between the ribs and rails is formed with the holes 66, 66 to form a rack and it has narrow, bent ends 61, by which ends it is attached to the frame A as by screws 68.

In Fig. 13, the bufier spring 16 is shown as attached to the latch spring l5 by winding its end into the coils of spring [5.

The principal purpose of this buffer spring is to prevent the lock holder extension 22 from being brought too close to the bottom rod guide [2 as the leverage of the rod M is such that the rod, the extension or the guide might be broken or bent by a push or by a blow. As shown in Fig. 14, a tube 10 might be used in place of the spring I6.

The principal feature of my device is a sheet metal rack between outwardly extending rails which form a track for a bracket associated with means to lock the bracket in place on the rack by something which goes between the rack teeth. This combination of rack and rails can be made in two parts as shown in Figs. 1 to 6 or of one piece as shown in Figs. 7, 8, 12 and 15.

I claim:

1. A support for window shade rollers including a pair of vertically disposed guides secured to the front of a window frame at opposite sides thereof and each including a rack with teeth, a bracket slidable in each guide, a pinion journaled on each bracket and engaging the rack teeth, a shaft carried at its opposite ends by said pinions and connecting them from movement in unison, a bracket moving element consisting of a turnable rod movable only parallel with one rack and having an end which is attached to and turnable in the associated bracket and which includes an outstanding finger engageable with and disengageable from the rack on a suitable turn of the rod so as to lock the bracket in place, there being a spring to hold the finger normally in engagement with the rack and a cover slidable with the rod on the guide, the cover having a handle slot and the rod having a handle turnable in said slot whereby the handle end of the rod is steadied and prevented from swinging.

2. A guide rack for window frames, said rack made of sheet metal and having longitudinal stiffening IlbS between rails, end supporting members and rack teeth extending between the ribs and rails, the rails xtending outward.

3. A guide rack for window frames, said rack made of sheet metal having two longitudinal spacing and stiffening ribs extending from and between outward extending rails, end supporting members extending back at each end and rack teeth extending between the ribs near the plane of the rails.

4. A guide rack for window frames, said rack made of a single piece of sheet metal having two integral longitudinal spacing and stiffening ribs extending from and between outward extending rails, end supporting members extending back at each end and holes forming rack teeth extending between the ribs near the plane of the rails.

GEORGE A. MAYNARD. 

